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The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.

The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.

Store owners may want to stock up on birthday candles with Flin Flon about to welcome a new member of the century club. Still sharp as a tack, Evelyn Constable turns 100 years young on Monday, a milestone that has brought congratulations from everyone from Mayor Dennis Ballard to Queen Elizabeth II. "I'm in good health besides my arthritis, and I have all my mental faculties Ñ I know what's going on in the world," she proudly stated. "I do a lot of hand-crafting and knitting. I keep myself busy." Born in Rat Portage (now Kenora), Ont. on November 10, 1903, Evelyn has lived in Flin Flon for nearly seven decades. With her big day approaching, Evelyn has received congratulatory letters from the likes of Premier Gary Doer and Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, but a card from the Queen surprised her the most. See 'There' P.# Con't from P.# Her Majesty's card, informally from "Elizabeth G.", features a photo of the Queen and was accompanied by a pin. Mayor Ballard also sent his regards along with a special City of Flin Flon certificate to commemorate Evelyn's longevity. Evelyn thanked Flin Flon MP Bev Desjarlais and MLA Gerard Jennissen for mentioning her milestone to the high levels of government. Her living room is already lined with flowers and messages from well-wishers, including a couple of "Happy 100th Birthday" cards that were no doubt difficult for the senders to find. "There will be more cards on the way. I know that," smiled Evelyn. Evelyn's friends have a big celebration planned for Sunday that is sure to include plenty of reminiscing. "I canceled my bridge game for it," she noted. Not surprisingly, longevity runs in Evelyn's family, and she credits her genes for her lengthy life. "My mother could have lived to be 100, but she died when she was 90," she said. "She was like I am now: she could remember everything, she was a good card player." Whenever articles about people of such impressive longevity appear in the media, the subject is usually asked for a word of advice for youth. Evelyn, however, declined to answer that question. "They won't listen to anything you tell them," she said. "They'll just go ahead with their own life and that's all there is to it. And that doesn't bother me. To me, each person's life is their own business. That's always been my motto." And any motto of Evelyn Constable must be worth something.

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